The End of the World is Near!

 

The End of the World is Near!

The famous “Doomsday Prophets” were iconic at one time in our history, the more religious of the bunch were convinced that the current events and bible prophecy were meshing, and God was going to rain his final judgement on the world and those of his creation that has rebelled and refused his grace and mercy to save them.

 

Truly we as God’s children in this world we live in should be “mostly” like these “End Times” prophets of old, in the sense of us warning every human being in this world that the day of God’s grace is coming to a close, and then he will begin to purge the lost from this world as he cleanses his chosen people, the Jews, from their rebellion and hard heart.

Like the disappearance of these prophets of times past, the world mocks our belief in God, and his son the Lord Jesus Christ. They mock our hope, and will say the same kind of words that the Apostle Peter spoke in his second letter in the Bible: 2Peter 3:3-4  Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,  (4)  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

Many believers are discouraged from believing God’s promise to come take us home, a promise that includes changing our bodies from one that is corruptible, and dying to one that is incorruptible, and will never die. He promised that our home with him will be one with no sin, no crying, no sickness, and no dying: John 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  (2)  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  (3)  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Also: 1Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  (17)  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Also: Revelation 21:3-4 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.  (4)  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

 

The mocking of our hope challenges not only the truth of these promises, but also the possibility of such a thing being tangible to us.

The first verse of the fourteenth chapter of John’s gospel says this: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me”. There are three things the Lord said to his disciples: One, don’t let your heart be troubled; Two, You believe in God; and Three, Believe also in me.

• 1      Troubled hearts: The wording of the Lord’s statement is such as we must be on guard for our heart. “(LET NOT) your heart be troubled”. There are those that, as Peter says, “…are willingly ignorant” they are as putty in the hands of the churches’ enemy, Satan, and he uses them to discourage, to cause doubt, and to weaken the believer’s faith. We must be awake spiritually, watching diligently, and looking up faithfully every moment of our lives. God’s promises are sure to the Saint of God.
• 2.       Faith in God: This would be better stated, you have believed God. Have we? Have we believed God? When he said that he created this world and the heaven above? When he said that he created you and me? When he said that Man sinned, and all mankind are now sinners by nature? When he said that he sent his only son to die on the cross to pay the “death price” for our sins? When he said that any who believe he will save and give them eternal life? If yes, then believe his son also…
•  3.       Believing the Son: The Lord Jesus told them, and it has been communicated to us in his word, that he will come back and take us to our home in heaven, to be with him forever. We either believe him, or we don’t. Our hope is based on his promise.

 

So we are convinced by the undeniable facts of the Old Testament predictions concerning God fulfilling his initial promise to send his Son into the world, each and every one came through with the birth, the sufferings and death, to his resurrection, that we are confident of all the other promises and predictions that have been made by God as recorded in the Bible.

 

Here is a brief overlook at the things that are predicted, and will come to pass:

1^st – (1Thessalonians 4) He will return in the air and call all born again believers up into the air to meet him, and to take us home:

• a)       (1 Corinthians 15) He will change our bodies to an eternal body fit for heaven.
• b)      (Romans 14:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10; and described in 1 Corinthians 3) We will stand before the Judgment seat of Christ.
• c)       (Revelation 5) We will worship the Lord in person.

2^nd – (Revelation 6-19) The seven years of tribulation on the earth, and all who dwell on the earth will suffer the fierce judgment of God.

•         (Chapter 6) The Seven Seals; 
•      (Chapter 8-9) The Seven Trumpets; 
•      (Chapter 16) The Seven Last Plaques (Vials).
•         (Chapter 19) The second coming of Christ into this world.
•         (Chapter 19:20) The Beast and the False Prophet were cast alive into the lake of fire.

3^rd - (Chapter 20) …the thousand year reign of Christ on the earth. All Israel with the remaining survivors of the tribulation (the start and the end of the one thousand years).

•        (Chapter 20:1-3) Satan is bound in chains and cast into the bottomless pit for the full one thousand years.
•        (Chapter 20:7-10) Satan is released and leads a rebellion at the end of the thousand years, and then is cast into the lake of fire where the Beast and the False Prophet are still being tormented.
•        (Chapter 20:11-15) Great White Throne. Every unbelieving human that died without the Lord will be judged and cast into the lake of fire for all eternity.

NOTE: As a Christian that has acquired such eternal wealth by the grace of God, shouldn’t our hearts break for any we know or have contact with, knowing the end of their path, shouldn’t we be bold to proclaim to them that the END is near?

4^th – (Chapter 21) The New Heaven and the New Earth: This is what we have hoped for all through the trials we have faced as we have faithfully held the name of our Lord before a lost world.

•       (Chapter 21:10) The New Jerusalem; “…that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God”

5^th - (Chapter 22) The Call to the lost, this day to come is an imminent event, it just may be today as you read this brief summary of the end of the world. Will you not shine your light in a dark world, as you echo the Lords pleading to mankind?

 

Owner of Your Love

      I was dwelling on God’s love for mankind, and then on the love he has shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, and those thoughts led me to write a blog on Love - (see next blog). It was while I was writing and rewriting this blog that I began to think about what it meant to be loved. To be loved by someone, according to true love as seen in the thirteenth chapter of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian believers, has the weight of a true treasure we have been given possession of by the one that loved us. How much more so to be loved by the one that “is love”. The words came into my mind, and filled my heart with the assurance that God had made me “The Owner of His Love”.

       One evening these thoughts flooded my soul. I ripped off the back cover of a Sudoku book, found a pen and began to scratch the words into a poem. I placed the chicken scratch notes in my office and neglected them for a while, until I decided to type them into a document. I wrote and rewrote these words like a potter would work clay into a noticeable vessel. When I saw it complete it felt it more of a song then a poem, but I have not been able to get a tune or rhythm to match the phrasing. None the less I lift my song to the Lord, knowing he will hear the tune of my heart’s love for him.

 ~Owner of your Love~

 

Simple words... spoken with no feeling

Yet they tell of your great love for us.

 

Of all the words that this language offers,

The ones you used are "suffering and death"

                       

***

How could one so holy and so pure,

Die for man, who mocked and disowned you.

 

Is it true, you gave so you could own us?

Is our love... a precious gift to have?

 

What I found completely astounds me.

You gave your all...

           So I could be...

                   The owner of your love.

 

~

 

I have never been loved like you have loved.

In your eyes I see a passion that frees me.

 

You smile when you look upon me,

Flooding my world with your glorious light.

 

***

How could one so holy and so pure,

Die for me, who mocked and disowned you.

 

Is it true, you gave that you could own me?

Is my love... a precious gift to have?

 

What I found completely astounds me.

You gave your all...

           Now I'm... The owner of your love.

 

~

 

I knew your heart the moment that I met you.

My heart was full of brokenness and sin,

Your love, the greatest of my treasure,

You keep in this broken earthen vessel.

 

***

 

How could one so holy and so pure,

Die for me, who mocked and disowned you.

 

Is it true, you gave that you could own me?

Is my love... a precious gift to have?

 

What I found completely astounds me.

You gave your all...

           Now I'm... The owner of your love.

Mikeee ~ August 2020

LOVE...

Love is the one emotion that wreaks havoc in our lives, unbidden, and unhindered, it acts on its own accord, seemly at will. There are other emotions that have their way with us, as frail humans, like Anger, Hate, Joy, and fear, but all these and the many others are mostly single faceted, and for the most part, can be tamped down into submission, but not Love, it takes and is in full control.

Love is the one emotion that rises within us of its own accord, it is multi-faceted, moving us into its own path and actions of its choosing, and commanding at will most if not all the other emotions sealed within our soul. We can choose who we have relationships with, outside our families of course, and we can choose to end those relationships as well. But the powerful truth of Love is, we cannot choose who we Love!

There may be those that choose a person based on any number of things, like physical appearance, demeanor, wealth, or fame. They can even pursue a relationship in any number of ways, making their romantic desire known. They may even make headway in forging a union. And all in all, still not be “In Love” with that person. There is a difference. Now Love comes to bear of its own accord, there may be all the other things mentioned above that catches the eye, but the mystery of Love is such, that within a moment, a split second, a person is “In Love”. What drive this one emotion has, it is such a force within the human soul that it begins to cipher energy from every aspect of our being as it pursues its interests. Love begins calling all of the other emotions into focus, Joy and fear, happiness and heartbreak, Anger and Friendship. It is no wonder we get that butterfly feeling in our gut, all twisted and churning. We become so fearful that the feeling might not be mutual. We become angry with friends that interrupt our pursuit. Sound familiar? There is no controlling this emotion, it is on its own, with no thought of the body that houses it, or anything within a hundred-mile radius either organic or synthetic.

Looking back at the list of emotions, I can still my anger with slow breathing coupled with a forgiving spirit. I can turn my hate into friendship, by simply listening and understanding the other side. I can dispel joy by yielding to a pessimistic view. I can calm my fears by knowledge and understanding. But Love is a renegade, it answers to nobody, it cannot be reined in, it cannot be tamed.

So the question is, how do we know if what I am feeling is infatuation or Love? There are two rules that identify the two when it comes to a romantic relationship:

         1)  Love only wants what is best for the one that is loved.

         2)  Every other relationship only wants what is best for themselves.

Have you ever heard this phrase; “If you really loved me…” (Add whatever to the three dots)? That phrase only screams one thing – This is what is best for ME! There are so many red flags with this statement, one of which is insinuating that the one asked could act against true love. If a person loves another, the very nature of Love would never ask for proof, but would always be providing their own proof of their undying love.

Looking at relationships that break up, for many reasons such as sinful living, incompatibility, and yes, one of the couple was never in love. Have you ever experienced a breakup? Someone you were truly in love with, and then one day they announce that it is over, and leave. Do you remember that feeling? Like someone just ripped your gut open with a serrated blade, and forcibly yanked your stomach and heart out of your body. That hurt quite literally is that of the one all-powerful emotions being ripped out of your soul. Love had committed your entire being to the object of your love, and now it is gone. Human relationships fail because we are imperfect, and we are imperfect because we have ignored the perfect love of God in our lives.

Look at the Bible for a moment on what is says about Love: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud.  (5)  Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it.  (6)  Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth.  (7)  Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits.  (8)  Love will never end…

Something I came to know not too long ago is that I never chose to Love the Lord Jesus Christ. I asked God to save me when I came to understand that Sin had condemned me to eternal judgment, to spend eternity in Hell. Then once I had that knowledge in my head, causing all kinds of anxiety and fear, I was also presented with the truth that God Loved Me! Not much in the words alone, but God never asked me to do anything for him, instead, moved by his love for me, allowed his Son, Jesus Christ, to die a terrible death on a Roman cross. I didn’t understand all the facts of this truth at the time, but I was told that all my sin he took on him, like it was a tangible thing, trapped in my soul, he removed it all, and bore them all in himself as his own, for me, he suffered that awful punishment that I deserved, because he loved me. When I knew all I needed to do was believe God that I would be granted forgiveness of sins, and I would spend eternity in heaven.

 Even then, I didn’t choose to love God or his Son, I merely accepted with gratefulness the gift of life. But God’s love is like the description in this bible passage, it never quits, never gives up. You may ask: “When did God start loving me?” after many years of study and walking with the Lord, I have come to understand something, God fell “In Love” with man when he made us. With man’s history, religiously speaking, turning from our maker, living in sin and rebellion, it is a testament to the description of Love, how very patient and kind, not remembering wrongs done against it, never giving up on the one it loves, and never quits.

Even after learning all these things, I still did not choose to Love God, but rather as I came to know him, to see his love in action, to be the center of his focus, I fell “In Love” with him. I don’t control this emotion, but it fills my heart, it moves my feet, it places the words in my mouth, it adores him.

My love for my wife, my family, and my church family is real and true, and reliable now because it is modeled after the love that God has displayed to all mankind, the love that sought me my entire life, never holding my offences against me, but always seeking the best for my life. The one that demonstrated his love when he died at Calvary.

Love.

Mikeee ~ August 2018

I need a FREEKING Dictionary...

When I was little, my Mom had a way to deal with us when we said bad things. She would wash our mouths out with soap. It was always fun watching this process when one of my 5 siblings were having their mouths washed out with soap… Until the day it was my turn. I said a bad word, I said PeePee. Go ahead and laugh, but we are talking the 60’s. But the truth of the matter was that I wasn’t talking about making water, but I was referring to a boy’s private parts. I knew it, and though I disguised it with a word that could have meant something else, my Mom knew it too. Soap – YUK.

 

I know even today we all use words to express something vulgar, but disguise it with a word that could mean something else. The truth of the matter is that we know what we meant to say… and, so does most if not all that hear us say it. In our world of texting, the famous OMG certainly softens the impact of taking the Lord’s name in vain, but we know what we mean. Or to exclaim “Jeeze” as though leaving “US” out of the word disguises our degrading of the name of our Lord Jesus.

 

How about dropping the F-BOMB in polite company, just by disguising it with different letters that make a word that could mean something else… But we know what we meant to say, and so does everybody that hears us. I am guilty of being corny with jokes, and especially love living so close the Percy Priest Dam. So I can easily say something like “We have to go down that DAM road” and by all rights I didn’t really cuss… But I know what I am saying. My wife knows too, so she tells me, “If you want to cuss, just cuss, don’t pretend with a play on words”. That woke me up.

 

My Step-Father once told me that people that cuss all the time do it because they do not possess an intelligent vocabulary, and fill in their sentences with cuss words, thinking it makes them look cool, when in fact it just makes them look dumb. So how much worse is it when we can’t even use the real cuss words when we cuss? How dumb is that. So as one of the smartest women I have ever known once said, “If you want to cuss, just Cuss”.

 

Now if there is a reason you disguise the vulgar words you use, like maybe you think it is actually Vulgar to speak that way, why not just get a dictionary out and learn some intelligent words to use in your sentences so you will look smart. Believe me, DUMB is not cool. Smart Rules!

MFL

4-14-2016

Idiotism – Idio-tism – idiot-ism

Idiotism – Idio-tism – idiot-ism

I know in our society we throw around this term for people that do stupid things. It can be applied to most drivers on the road, to guys making that first contact with a girl, for buying that little sports car when you have a baby on the way… and so on.

Idiotism is the actions we see people do, that makes us want to identify them as an idiot. But it is true that not all people that do stupid things are idiots. Who hasn’t seen the Cops TV show with the amazingly stupid things that people do that gets the police called out to their trailer park. Who does not have a driving story… Like the guy that flies through a stop sign, as you, the only car for miles approaching, and then that same guy who thought it worth risking his life to get in front of you, also now feels he needs to drive 10 miles an hour slower than the speed limit?

Webster defines Idiot as a very stupid or foolish person. So I find myself questioning how stupid of me to identify a human being as a very stupid person just because I witnessed them do a very stupid thing.

Come on, we all have been in a hurry, and blew through a stop sign, only to find that there is a car approaching, and immediately we channel Cheech and Chong and think it is the PO-LICE, and slow way down to 10 below the speed limit.  Really, I am not sure which is more stupid, the blowing through the stop sign or driving extremely slower, with the assumption that the “could be” police officer will think what a model citizen you are. And oh yeah, I have pulled that Idiotism before.

The most amazing idiotism I have seen any human being do, is to stumble at the simplicity of God. There are so many religions that try to complicate the relationship of God and mankind, and add all the rules and regulations to ensure that man has a chance to not go to Hell on Judgment day. I know how the minds of Scientist and Engineers work, wanting to understand the facts, and make logical sense of a thing. So the simplicity of God and his relationship with the human race confuses them, and they begin to reject the whole idea altogether.

It is really quite simple though. God made man. Man sinned and is separated from God. God loved man. God sent his Son (Jesus Christ) to die in the place of man. God saves man when man believes on him. Now don’t get me wrong on this, the words are quite understandable to the human language, but the concept is far beyond the understanding of the human mind. So God does not tell us to understand it all, he just asks us to believe it.

It is an idiotic thing for anyone to come to the conclusion then, that there is no God. God says of that person, that he or she is an Idiot. Psalm 14:1

Don’t be an idiot. Believe God and his Son Jesus today, and enjoy life as his child.

 

 

The Christians real battle

I wonder sometimes about the thinking process of Christians in our day and age. Some are all excited about a new law allowing homosexuals to marry, some are enraged that their country could come to this place. Do the Christians living in this world today really think that the laws of this government, or any government in this world will be conformed to the law of God? This nation is one of a few that has enjoyed much of its history governed by laws that reflect the moral judgements of God based on His word the Bible. But the reality is that the world has been and will be on a downward trend until the Christians are removed completely and the remaining people will rule without God’s righteousness as a standard.

I do not feel that this is the battle that we as Christians should be fighting anyway. It is the same with all other social issues that wander through our lawmaking process, and then ultimately are interpreted by the Supreme Court. That said, I still believe my Bible when it says that homosexuality is wrong and is not what he designed.

No, the battle that the Christian faces in this world is not one of flesh and blood but one that is spiritual. Eventually the laws and morals of this country and other countries will affect the life and safety of the Christian, as it has in so many other lands and peoples where believers are persecuted. But for us as well as for them, our battle still is not fought in the legislative branch of our government but against the Gates of Hell. We attack the gates of Hell when we show individuals who need to be saved from their sin that the Lord Jesus Christ died for them. To show them the love of God in our lives as well as in our words.

Yes, we as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have a battle cry, and it is “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” Should we hate the homosexual? No! They are just like all humans that are born into this world. We are all sinners in the eyes of God, We all were born in sin and in need of a savior.

When someone trusts in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, whatever sin had characterized their life before, we are NOT to bend the word of God for their lifestyle as a means of being tolerant but we are to teach the word to them. We are to let God convict them of his perfect will for their life. It is my belief that if someone trusts the Lord for salvation and walks with the Lord and reads and obeys the Word of God, they will allow God to change them. Then the sins of their past lives will fall away as the new man that the Lord created them to be emerges and shines to a lost world.

I certainly hope your light is shining today.

Time and Eternity

Man was created as an eternal creature. Due to the sin of the first man, Adam, man’s ability has changed from eternal to finite, though his nature remains eternal.

It is helpful to define both Time and Eternity to fully understand this concept. First Time is finite. It is measured in linear terms, such as beginning, end and length. Whereas Eternity cannot be measured because there is no definable beginning or end, and thereby no measurable length.

God who created us is Eternal. From the creation story, we read that we were created in his image. This would indicate that we look like him. Well, from the description we have of God, he is invisible, we know the image is not based on looks, but must be on nature, that being eternal. What this means for us as humans, and as individuals, is that we will never cease to exist. More on this in a moment.

When God created this world, he created time as well, so that Time can be described as a created thing. Knowing this and that time by definition has a beginning and an end, we know that we only have so much time left before the world we know and live in will cease to exist in linear form. It was created in such a way that we cannot go back to an earlier point in time, except to examine recorded history. We cannot move any faster forward in time than the mechanisms put in place to define time for us. Per Genesis chapter 1 and verse 16 where we are told that he made the Sun to rule the day, and the moon to rule the night, and he included the stars as points of reference in times passing.

So we have a place where this created thing we call Time exists, it is called the Universe. Pretty big too. Scientist give us measurements of this place, some more accurate now with the aid of newer technology, but most really just a guess based on what we can measure. Nonetheless, it does have a measurement, and has a beginning and an end. The question is now, where is Eternity? But first back to our limited abilities now as sin born creatures, where our comprehension of time itself is difficult at best and confusing at worst. Also we are completely incapable to find a definable measure to apply to Eternity. We are told that the Universe is at least 10 billion light years in diameter, but who can really define in practical terms what a light year is? If I am told something is a mile in diameter, I can pretty much comprehend that, but tell me it is a billion miles in diameter, and my gray matter becomes gray goo. So 10 billion light years? Though I know that science has a definition of this measure, and with study and reason, it can be understood, it will never be understood practically by the natural human. Now to spend a lot of time trying to understand the depths of this can cause your face to look like that of Einstein’s, not so pretty, but in the end getting on a USSR stamp is not too shabby. The time it takes getting from a USSR postal unit to a US postal unit will be the same to all observers regardless of their relative motion… Oh goodness, gray goo again.

So our world that we live on, in this journey through time, can be measured in two ways, one is linear, and the other is polar. The world spins in the direction of the linear, That is from East to West, thus moving us through the length of time allotted to us. My brother believes that if you speed toward the west you will travel slower, and to the east you will travel faster. But I have learned that the trip from the east coast to the west coast of the United States takes the same amount of time either way, no matter how fast I travel. I guess it all is relative? The polar measurement takes us from North to South, and is a point to point length that changes direction once you past one of the points. If you travel the linear either direction, like from East to West, you will always travel toward the west, the direction never changes. Gives us a really cool duel analogy of us as finite beings with an eternal nature. Now if you take a linear view of east to west, and not a global view, then you can imagine if you started at any point and started traveling in one direction, you would never get to the opposite point. This kind of helps to make sense of the word of God when he said that he has cast our sins as far as the East is from the West. If we continue to use the analogy of the spin of this earth as moving us forward in time, then if East marks the beginning of time and West the end, we could assume from the statement concerning our sins that God has dealt with every sin, from every age, from every human, from the start of time to the end. This give fresh hope concerning our salvation, that it is Eternal in nature, not affected by any actions of failure or sin even after we are saved. But what must our Lord Jesus Christ have suffered, if on the cross he bare all sins for all humans, for all times?

Now picture in your mind two things, first is Time as a created thing, even though it is revealed to us in the form of the universe that is 10 billion light years in diameter, think about it in linear form, like a box, but in it from beginning to end, the all between are the events that has made up our lives as humans, and those events that have not yet taken place. You will have to imagine that you have the ability to look down on it as a THING so your imagination can consider this. Then, Secondly, picture Eternity as everything else, no boundaries, no discernible shape, no measurable length. This is how I believe God sees Time, including this world we live in. So it is not hard to imagine as you look at this picture, how God could know our future. It does not so much have to be that he set it all in stone either, but allowed his creation move forward with free will. Humans choosing how they live, where they go, how they act, and what they believe. He could certainly look ahead (which we as finite creatures cannot do) and he can see what choices we made. We can even use conjecture to see how when we pray for someone, like asking God to send someone to a friend or loved one with the gospel, how this may alter the outcome of the future for that person? But something else I thought of with this in mind, is the prophets of old. How they could foretell of future events with precise detail. We see this clearly with all of the prophecies concerning the coming of Christ into this world, and of his death. Is it possible that God could allow the brain of that prophet operate on an eternal level, providing them with a view like the one I described with Time as a box? I often think about the Apostle John, and the vision he had of the Revelation of Christ. His recording was described as though he was there experiencing it as it happened, and shifted from one period of time to another. There is way more to this subject that can possibly be explained in clear terms so long as we live in this finite body.

Which brings me to my last subject, though mentioned early on in this article, and that is the fact that though our ability is finite, we as God’s created beings are Eternal in nature. What this means is that every human will never cease to exist. This body we live in is finite as is Time, but when the body fades, we simply move into the eternal realm. When you hear someone say to you “Where will you spend Eternity?” there is such weight to those words, because like it or not, it is the nature of our being, we move on when the temporal has failed. The Gospel is God’s message to his creation, that though they were created for him, they failed, and sinned, and no longer had access in his presence, (The weight and seriousness of this truth affects every single person), But that his Son, Jesus Christ paid the price and penalty for man’s sin, the gospel offers Eternal life to any who simply believe it. For those that do not believe, they choose to move into Eternity without God. But it is God that is Eternity, he is Light, Love, Hope, Joy, Beauty, and anything that is anything good, to choose to go into Eternity without God is to live without Light and love and all the rest that is good in an existence that is not measured in time as we know, but one where the BOX can be viewed from start to finish with no way to change its outcome, no way to change your place.

God is Good, God is Love, God is Light. Trust him right now before this old world stops the spin and we all move into Eternity.

Who is your Super Hero?

Who is your Super Hero?

 I have seen this question often in password security questions, and always have a certain Super Hero that I list as my answer (No, I am not going to tell you who it is). When discussing this with a friend, I said who my hero was, and they replied that maybe Jesus Christ, our Lord should be listed as the Christian’s hero? I thought about that a little, and came to the conclusion that my Lord is not my hero, he is my savior and Lord. I mean, it is a nice sentiment to say that the Lord is my hero, but in truth, he is God, The creator of everything we know, so it would seem a bit trivial to lower him to a super hero status, when in fact he is everything.

With that said, now I find myself questioning my answer to the security question. I know the characters of our childhood, like Superman, Batman, The Green Hornet, and so on, are characters that fascinate us as children, well as adults as well, considering all the remake of these comic series in Hollywood movies. But do I really want to imitate Superman, or any of these Super Hero characters in my life?

 As a Christian I think of some of the early Christians, especially the Apostles, including the Apostle Paul. These people are just like us, no inbred super powers, no Spider venom from a failed experiment, or Alien in our midst that can fly, but real humans, that felt pain like we do, and were sad and happy like we are. When we look at their lives, we see the sacrifice of their lives to serve the Lord. We see many suffer horrible persecution with imprisonment and even death, but never giving in, never denying the Lord in their witness for him. Now these are people that I can imitate in my life.

There is one of more recent time though that I, after re-evaluating this question, would call my Hero. My Mom. In the face of raising six children on her own after my Dad decided to check out of the second parent responsibility, leaving us to live his life as a carefree single, left my Mom with the job to teach, discipline,  and provide for all six of us without the aid and support of a second parent. I look back now, and see how hard she worked, finding a job in a not-so-women-friendly business world. Then coming home after a long day of working to do the cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, and being a mom for four daughters with real girl become ladies problems, and two boys that took complete advantage of the lack of time to keep an eye on everything. (yeah the chores were split up among the six of us as well, but there were no clear child labor laws at the time, so oh well). My Mom done good. I with my siblings can attest that our faith in the Lord, and the stability of our lives are a testimony to her relentless duty to her children.

Yes, when asked “Who is your childhood Hero?” my answer is a resounding MOM.

(I still plan to answer the security question with my original answer though, can’t be too careful these days).

Mike Lester ~ March 2015

The Bear is just behind me.

The Bear is just behind me.

I wonder sometimes if other people suffer from fighting symptoms of sin, like I do, only to finally come to terms that there is a root sin in your life that rears its ugly head, like a huge black bear, we see the dumb things we do, and then immediately turn to the Lord asking forgiveness. When really it is “that sin that so easily besets us” something that for as long as we can remember, has caused us to do dumb things.

 In Hebrews chapter 12, the writer says “…to lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” Now try to imagine that sin that causes this trouble in your life, as a big ole grizzly bear chasing you through life, I imagine that I would run like crazy, if I was carrying a big ole backpack full of “things” I realize that if I just lay that thing that is weighing me down aside, I could run faster, putting more distance between me and that bear.

 Yeah life is like a race, for us that desire to please God, we do find that all the “things” we deem so precious are really the things that weigh us down, and allow that ole bear to catch up with us so many times. Why don’t we just throw them away if we know this? I think maybe it is because we spend so much time adoring them? In this same chapter of Hebrews, the writer does give us an answer, it is this: “…Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Heb 12:1-3.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full into his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace…

Yeah, adore the lover of your soul, he sees you as his precious treasure, how can we look at him, in his wonderful love to us, and not see him as our precious treasure too?

MFL 2015

GRACE

“Amazing Grace, How Sweet The Sound That Saved A Wretch Like Me…” What words that moves a redeemed soul.

 I think it would be wise for every Christian to make a habit every day of their lives to start their day with a short prayer to God our Father, like this: “Father in Heaven, Thank you for your matchless grace in my life. Lord, reveal to me your grace in a way that I can understand it better” During the day, when you give thanks for the meal he has provided for you to eat this day, thank him again for this grace, and ask him once again to reveal what his grace mean to you. Just before you go to bed at night, whisper this prayer again.

When I look at our salvation, I am reminded of Ephesians 2, verses 8-10. “For by Grace are you saved…” and though I quote that all the time, I realized I do not process it properly in my life, because I lack the wisdom to fully understand what God’s grace means to me.

For one thing, it is the action of his son, motivated by his love for us, he became poor for us, that we might become rich in him. 2 Corinthians 8:9. The grace part of this is evident in how this is worded “…that ye through his poverty might be rich.” We have to ask, when and how was the Son of God ever in poverty? We tend to equate God’s grace with the “…that you might be rich” part of the passage. But what does it really mean for God’s son to be poor, and on the other hand, for any one of us humans to be rich? You really cannot use a monetary system to understand this, the analogy falls far too short to describe this grace spoken of here. So what do we use to understand this? Sin. That’s right, sin. Starting with me, I understand what sin is, I know its filth, its destruction, its spiritual poverty I know all too well. It is something I had and had no way to get rid of. In contrast though, it is something that Christ did not have. He never knew its filth, destruction, and its poverty. So this grace was an act of God’s Son, taking my sin, becoming sin, experiencing my sin with its filth, destruction and poverty, the same way every human has ever experienced it. He became poor---{Breathe} when he took my sin, I became rich when it was gone.

Secondly, still looking in the second chapter of the book of Ephesians, just after he tells us that we are saved by grace, he said this in verses 11-12 “Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh…” Being labeled as a Gentile may set on edge a little, but in the context of things, this statement is very important to fully comprehending the grace of God, to grasp the depths in your soul, in your heart of hearts, why Grace. Reading the rest of this passage helps us understand why we are labeled Gentiles. “…That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise…” A careful study of the Bible will reveal that God chose the nation of Israel, decedents of Abraham, through the line of the child of promise, Isaac, and the twelve sons of Jacob, who became Israel. They knew the one true God. They were given the law. They had the hope. The messiah who we call Christ was sent to them. We were as the last part of this passage states …”having no hope, and without God in the world…”  Think of the millions of people all through the world’s history that never heard the gospel, never heard the law, never heard about the God of Heaven. Millions of people that lived in a family, a tribe, a city, a nation that Satan had taken advantage of with lies that would turn the clear evidence of God in creation into another form of religion. Died without hope and without God, and opened their eyes in a lost eternity. But Grace says this in verse 13 “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ” “Oh God my Father, thank you for your grace. Reveal to me a full understanding of your grace today!”

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide, what can avail to wash it away? Look! There is flowing a crimson tide; Whiter than snow you may be today. – Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within; Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin.

Mikeee

An Out of This World Doctrine

Rapture:

An Out of This World Doctrine

As long as God allows me to continue to breathe his air, and to live in this world, dwelling in this very temporary body, I will never cease to be amazed that God has not only created us, loved us, sent his Son to die for us, and saves us, even when we were in rebellion to his will. But most of all, I will never cease to be amazed at the Word of God that he gave us to understand, first of all who he is, then to show us the unfolding of his plan for mankind. Most importantly, to reveal his will to us. But all that said, as I continue to read and study this Bible that contains sixty-six books, thirty-nine in a volume called the “Old Testament” and twenty-seven books in a volume called the “New Testament”, that from start to finish, there is this unfolding revelation of all these things, the revealing of himself, his plan, and his will for mankind. I cannot understand how the majesty of this book is not revered by each and every Christian that has been saved by his grace, which was a response to hearing the words from this very book. Paul describes the Word of God as “Living and Powerful” Hebrews 4:12, and yes it is.

 

As a Christian, we hear about the Rapture, and look at this doctrine as our hope. This hope is what helps us to get through the hard times this old world brings in our life. Just to know that there is something better waiting for us when we leave this world. But when it comes to the subject of the Rapture, which means the snatching up into the air every living Christian at the time Christ returns to call us home to heaven, it can seem a bit unreal to a world of logical thinking people, and rather just an escape from reality to those who believe it. But a careful study of the Old and New Testament will help us to fully understand that this doctrine of the Rapture is not only true, but is a major part of God’s plan for mankind.

 

Let us start with the first volume of this great book we call the Bible, thirty-nine books in all, and most of it is prophetic in nature, yet there is not one word about the Rapture. That is almost enough to cast doubt on this whole subject. A careful study of the Bible shows us that the Old Testament begins to reveal our creator to us. To show us his plan for his creation, this plan is revealed in stages. Also, he reveals his will for man. We will focus on his plan for man in this study.

 

God’s plan for mankind revealed

God’s plan for man starts with his goal for man enacted, and ends with the goal in place. What I mean is that when man was created, he was placed in a garden, paradise if you will. Man was in a perfect place, in life and in relationship with his creator. Sin disrupted this goal for man, and God reveals throughout the scriptures how he will bring man back into that place of relationship, and paradise. The Old Testament starts with one man, Abraham. We see his family grown to a nation that is numbered as the sand of the sea. Sadly enough, our creator selected this nation to be his people, and as his plan unfolded, it appears that this plan included Israel, and excluded everybody else. One of the biggest mistakes in studying God’s word that Christians make, is when we try to apply to the Church Old Testament truths and promises that really only apply to the nation of Israel.

 

Now, that being said, the Old Testament shows us God’s plan unfold and dealing with one nation, he then reveals to them his plan of salvation from sin. Interestingly enough, this plan of salvation includes all mankind, but only as an overflow from its intended beneficiary, who is the nation of Israel. The plan for God saving man from sin is revealed in the advent of a savior. What confused the saints of the Old Testament, as well as the religious leaders in the New Testament, and even some Christians today is that the advent of God’s savior is revealed in two advents of this same savior.

 

Two Advents of Messiah (Christ)

In the Old Testament, the writers of the books, especially the Prophets spoke of this Messiah in two views, one of his coming in power and great glory and restoring the glory of the nation, and the other in suffering and humility. The readers of the scriptures were confused and they blurred the two as one, not distinguishing them as two different advents. Theologians refer to these writings as two peaks, the one being the first coming of Christ, the second peak as his return to earth to destroy those that refuse God, and then to set up the millennium kingdom. The Jewish people of Christ’s day were confused at the first advent, ignoring the parts concerning Christ’s suffering, and only looking for the King. It is why they rejected the Lord, and pushed for him to be crucified him on the Cross.

 

It is interesting that his second advent will be with great fan fair, earthquakes, hail fire and brimstones falling on the earth, lightening seen from one end of the earth to the other, and then the Son Of God descending in the sky on a white horse, and all his saints with him on white horses. Now his first advent may not have come in with such a bang, but it was with quite the fan fair. There were angels in glory singing praises to God because God had entered this world as a human being, a little baby nonetheless. He has a bright star that was seen clear across the world, and was followed by great men just to see the coming king into this world.

 

Two Peaks and its Valley

Now, back to the two peaks, but more importantly, the valley in between. This may seem to some as imagined theology, but there are New Testament scriptures to substantiate its truth. But the valley is commonly seen as a period of time that is not recorded in Old Testament prophecy, an “Age of Grace” if you will. Old Testament prophecy is very specific in terms of the time that God would send his Son into this world, also when he would send him back in what we are calling his second advent. Reading the writings of Jeremiah the entire period of time is specified in years, and broken up into 70 periods of 7 years, while in Daniel’s writings, the actual days are specified concerning the Lord’s return. You can read the words of our Lord in Luke’s gospel, 19:32-44 that on the day that he presented himself as the King, he said, “had you known at least in This Thy Day” It was the day Daniel prophesied in his book, of when he would present the King to the Nation. So studying prophecy can be confusing, as we see that both of these prophecies were spoken of as one, and not clearly defined until that day when he rode into the city, and was rejected by the nation. Now, where most teachers of scriptures disagree, is concerning the valley. Among most evangelicals, and especially conservative believers, the valley is a period of time that was not seen in the Old Testament, and began shortly after the first advent of the Lord, and will conclude shortly before the second. We need to grasp how this is distinguished in the prophecies concerning this period of time. When looking at the prophecy of Jeremiah and the seventy weeks (70 – 7 Year periods of time) we see that the last week has not yet happened. There are very specific things that have happened, and account for the four hundred and eighty three years (The first 69 weeks) and specific things yet to happen. This last week is referred to as the seventieth week, and as the time of Jacobs trouble (again remember all of the Old Testament is concerning the nation of Israel), but in the New Testament, this last week is referred to as the Tribulation.

 

So it seems that one day in the history of Israel, which was after the first advent of the Messiah, which includes his death, his resurrection, and his ascension, then after Pentecost the prophetic clock of God concerning Israel stopped. There are specific things concerning that last week that have yet to happen, that we see spoken in those Old Testament prophesies. Also in the New Testament spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 24-25. So a good question in this prophetic study would be, what about all this time between Pentecost and Now? That time, as we have said, is often referred to as the “Age of Grace” and it is called that because we see God’s grace now reaching out to all mankind with the good news of salvation, much different than the physical deliverance that the nation of Israel is looking for, where the Messiah will return to this earth, and establish his kingdom, and Israel will be the head once again. No, the age of grace is a period of time, the duration of which is not determined, where a man, woman, boy or girl, can hear the gospel, how that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on Calvary’s cross, paid for our sin, and after he died on that cross rose from the dead, if any human soul hears and believes, will be saved eternally from the penalty of sin. Not only saved from sin, but made a child of God. Not only that, but indwelled by God’s Holy Spirit forever. Every believer that has been saved is part of God’s body, called his Church.  Ephesians 1:1-14. Paul later states in this wonderful book that this work of God that we see in this age, was not known in the Old Testament, it was a mystery. Ephesians 3:1-10.

 

It would not be hard at this point to use human logic to see that as long as we are in this age of grace, and people have the opportunity to hear and believe the gospel, that the last week of Jeremiah’s prophecy will not start to play out in this world. But as God would have it, he did not leave us to human logic, he let Paul explain this very clearly in the second letter he wrote to the Thessalonians, in chapter 2 verses 1-12. Read this in any English version of the bible, or any language, or if you can read it in the Greek it will say the same thing. Something is hindering the revealing of the man of sin (the anti-christ), and the start of that last week of prophecy. That something that hinders is the Holy Spirits presence in this world. It will not be until he (the Holy Spirit) is taken out of the way, that these last things will take place. The Holy Spirit is here in this world in the Church, his body. All believers. The rapture will remove the Church, thus removing the Holy Spirit.

 

As to the rapture, it is the only thing a Christian needs to look for, it will happen before God’s prophetic clock will start again. Paul makes it very plain in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Where he describes exactly what happens in the catching up of believers that are alive in Christ, and with them the believers that have already died in Christ. Then in 1 Corinthians 15 he gives the mechanics of the rapture, of what will happen to our bodies. Lastly, John records for us in revelation chapter 4 verse 1 this very event called the rapture as it happens in the very near future. He describes all the things we will see when we get there, so much beauty, but most importantly, we will see the Lamb who died for us. The John begins to describe that last week (the Tribulation) in chapter 6 through chapter 19. God’s plan for man is wonderful. I didn’t know I was a created being with a purpose. I thought I was my own man. God revealed himself to me in the gospel, and he saved me. He gave me this great hope. Now I can’t wait to see my savior. I long to see all of his creation, but to see him, what a wonder it will be.

 

Look up, your redemption draws near!

Billy is a Doctor?

Things are moving so fast. The world seems to be spinning faster and faster every day, it is a wonder that we are not all slung off this planet into outer space. Technology keeps leaping forward so fast, it is hard to keep up. The jobs keep evolving, making it harder to stay on top without constant learning and training. Working now involves both Husband and Wife, leaving the kids to be raised by some child care so busy that they do not have time to pay attention to a single kid.
 

But ah the day is over, the drive through dead stopped traffic is done, your haven is just behind that door… As you open the door, more chaos, your kids running and screaming, fighting, and totally being ignored by the already arrived Dad, who is working on his laptop. Here they come, Mom, Mom, Mom… without thinking you scream “WHAT?” Billy is driving his truck over Barbie, and messing up her hair… But Mom, she wouldn’t move when I was blowing the horn… The with a loud and angry tone you grab them both, and say “stop fighting, be nice, Billy stop driving over Barbie, and Barbie, MOVE when the horn blows!!!”

 

Now to the Husband… Did you not hear your children fighting? What? No. I got this email from Bob, and it is the funniest thing I have ever seen. Hey what are we having for dinner? “THAT’S IT” you say to yourself, and scream, make your own dinner. I have had a rough day, and am just going to soak in a hot tub. As you head to the bedroom, you know that the hot tub idea is only a dream, so into some comfortable clothes, and back down to the kitchen to make something eatable and nutritious so the kids won’t starve to death.

 

After dinner, you turn on the TV for the kids, sit on the couch and pull out your phone. Oh what wonderful technology, everything and everybody at the tips of your fingers. And away you go browsing all the craft sites, blogs, and texting with friends, and keeping up on your social media. Your husband busy playing an online game on his laptop.

 

Yes, life is flying by. Little Billy doesn’t know what playing catch with his Father is like, and Little Susie have never played tea party with her Mom. The kids are growing up right in front of you, but you cannot even see it. They are just one more annoyance in the little time you have from the constant grind of life. Their memories will be filled with the bullying at day care and school. The bad influence of the rotten kids. And the values of day care employees and teachers.

 

One day you will look up from that three inch screen, blink to clear the sleep out of your eyes, and the kids will be adults. Their fragile minds already shaped, and their morals already decided. Their memory vaults already locked, and nowhere in that place, are the happy events that a mommy and daughter or Daddy and son shared. Then with a look of surprise, we will hear you proclaim… Billy is a Doctor?

May God help the young parents today to realize that the greatest gift that God has given to a family are these impressionable young children, who long to be help and loved. I know we are all busy, but maybe, just maybe we can adjust our lives and our cost of living in a way where Mommy can stay home and raise the children. Even if not, at least change your mentality, that coming home from the stressful world, you find the haven in the involvement with your family and not with your phone.

Expectation

We all have expectations in life. If you are married, then you have expectations of your spouse. If you have children, then you have expectations of them. If you have a job, then you have expectations of your employer. As an employer, you have expectations of your employees.

We also have expectations of the world around us. The weather, the Ocean, the Mountains, the Animal kingdom, both wild and domestic. Because of science, we expect certain things to be consistent, like a chair to hold us when we sit down; or the wings on our airplane to suspend us above the earth’s surface, as we are propelled to our destination.

I could go on, but I think you get the point. We live in a world of faith. We are taught the basic law of physics, and believe that there will be oxygen to fill our lungs when we breathe. We believe that most wild animals are dangerous and approach with caution, or with weapons to defend ourselves. We believe the Sun will rise in the east, and set in the west every day, and when it is not seen, we still believe that it is still there, but hidden from sight by clouds, clouds that is, that we believe to be vaporized water, waiting to become solid again and fall to the earth as rain.

I have to snicker a little as I think of the atheist going through life in these simple acts of faith, yet denying the one who created all the laws our science has discovered and taught us, which we have come to trust as truth, and reply on them to be… Consistent.

What about the Christian? We are the ones that have believed the truth of God’s word, that he is God, that he created us as eternal beings, that because of sin, we were separated from him (true death), and that because of his great love for us, this God who created us, sent his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to suffer death (separation from God) when he took responsibility for our (my) sins. We believe that because of that act of sacrifice, he is able to offer to every human being forgiveness of sin and restoration to fellowship with himself. To sum up, we were dead (separated from God) because of our sin. Jesus paid the debt (death) for our sin. And everybody that believes God is brought into a relationship with God again (eternal life, no longer dead).

Now, what can we expect from God every day? Eternal life. Hope beyond this world and its system. Peace. Love. Joy. Fulfilment. Family. Comfort. Encouragement. Super power. Direction. Treasure in heaven. I bet that you could go on and expand tis list, so it has got to make you smile as you think about no longer being dead, but alive unto God, and called his child. I mean, who else can say to their classmates, My dad is God.

Now, what does God expect from you? I could start a list that would be very valid. But instead, I want to just mention one thing that the Lord Jesus told his disciples, it is what he expects from us, and maybe sums up everything that can be said. God expects us to expect him. Mar 13:37  And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch. I read this, and had to stop and meditate for a moment, I asked myself this, “Do I EXPECT God today?” isn’t that what is meant here, to watch, or to expect something to happen, to expect someone to come? Do I expect God to empower me to serve him today? Do I expect God to provide my needs today? Do I expect God to protect me today? Do I expect God to come back for me today?

 

Given a huge list of God’s expectations, I could easily attempt to meet most of them, and make a good excuse for not accomplishing them all in a day, but when I think that there is just one thing God expects from me, I no longer have an excuse for failing, just a looking down as I scuff my feet in shame.

Our God is so great, and greatly to be praised, and greatly to be served. He has always proved faithful. Remember that this morning. Stop and ask yourself, do I expect God today?

 

Watch, he expects you to.

Every Body Talk

I think it is amazing how we as humans communicate to each other with BODY LANGUAGE. Even when we speak the same language, we seem to use our hands to convey the words that we speak. When we are adamant about what we are saying, our hands move wildly about, swooshing this way and that, pointing in every direction, or just making gestures with our hands.

I guess at the Tower of Babel, when all of the people had their languages scrambled, and no longer could communicate with each other in words, there was a great need to use body language to express the words that could not be understood otherwise. But here we are many many years later, a world that for the most part speaks the same language, able to use people skilled in interpretation to talk and share ideas verbally, but still the gestures are part of our communication.

Try carrying on a conversation with someone with your hand in your pockets, don’t take them out when you talk, no matter how tempting it will be, and see if you can remain motionless. Then with hands constrained, your body will swag, sway, wiggle, bounce, scrunch, and oh yes, smile and wink like crazy.

When involved in an emotional conversation, whether angry, happy, or just excited, we find our arms carrying our hands high in the air, waving about, balling our fists, punching the air, swooshing (I Like that word) back and forth, letting the one listening to us know how passionate we are about what we are telling them.

As a Christian, there should be a lot of conversations with God in your life. Most probably telling him what you expect from him, some begging for mercy, and a lot of just thanking him for what he has given. How many of those conversations with our heavenly Father are about his Son, and what he did for you? What His Father let him do? And what His Father did to him, for you? When reading your Bible (how God talks to you) and you see these things, does that make you want to stop, and talk to your Father, and say Thank You? I bet at those moments, you want to raise your hands high, maybe wave your hands in a sign celebration. I wonder how we can keep our hands in our pockets when we talk to God? What keeps us from swaging, swaying, wiggling, bouncing, scrunching, and oh yes, smiling and winking like crazy, while we thank him for his great gift of Eternal Life, and the forgiveness of sins through the death of his Son? Some may look at you and think you have lost it, but go ahead, take the hands out of your pockets, stick them up high, wave them about, and say to our Father, Thank You!

 

I am pretty sure it only matter what he thinks. I guess he might think it pretty cool.

MFL Oct 2013

Father and Son story:

Father: My Son, come with me. We are going to the alter of God, to sacrifice.

Son: But Father, why do we have to go so far away to offer a sacrifice to God.

Father: Because it is God’s will that we offer there.

Son: I want to please God, I want to please you Father.

Father: My Son, I want you to carry the wood that the sacrifice will be laid on.

Son: I see the wood, and the fire, and the knife, but where is the sacrifice Father?

Father: My Son, God himself will be the sacrifice, that alone can please him.

Father: This is the place that God has chosen. Son, I believe God. I want you to believe God also.

Son: Oh Father, I have seen your faith, I have seen God bless you, I do believe God.

Father: My Son, God has told me that you are the promised seed that will carry my name, and become a great nation, a people that he will call his own. But the sin of man is so bad, that only God himself becoming the sacrifice to atone for man’s sin, will make man… will make me and you fit for his presence.

Son: Will God now be that sacrifice, today on this alter?

Father: {With tears flowing down his face} Not today Son, today God has told me to offer you as a sacrifice to him. Do not fear my Son, Believe God. He has said that you are the promise to me, that you will be the father of the great nation, and he will call them his people. God has said this, and if I slay you on this alter, he will raise you from the dead. I believe God my Son.

Son: {With tears flowing down his face} Father, I believe God. I am frightened, but I believe even as you that God will bless even though you slay me on this alter.

Another Father and Son:

Even as The Father led his son to the cross, the Son cried, Father, if there is any other way, nevertheless Not as I will, but your will be done. Even when the Father bound his son to the wooden cross, his Son cried out, Father, forgive them. Even while suspended between earth and the heavens, no place found for his soul, he expressed care for his loved ones.



Then his Father stretched out his hand with the knife of wrath and judgment, {the judgment that belonged to man}, this Father’s hand was not stayed, the knife fell on his Son, God’s judgment that man deserved meted on his Son, …we hear the Son cry out… My God, My God… Why have you turned from me? Then he died.



I believe God, do you? God the Father told his Son, I will not allow your body to corrupt in a grave, this day I have brought you forth. And the Son was raised from the dead. God’s Will was done!



Do you believe God?

Hey, I May Be A Redneck

Hi, my name is Mike. I have worked since July of 1974. Let me tell you my story. I bathed, got dressed in the best clothes I had, combed my hair, and started knocking on doors. I filled out applications, and interviewed for jobs. I sold myself to every prospective employer. I got my first full time job in July 1974 as a truck driver, running hot shot delivery. I worked hard the entire eight hours my employer paid me for. In the free time, I did other things that other people did not want to do, like clean bathrooms, and take out the trash. I learned every aspect of the business my company was involved in, and learned how to do other peoples jobs, and was the one chosen to fill in when they were out. I made myself invaluable to my employer, so if someone had to be let go, it would not, no, could not be me.


In the thirty-nine years since I have worked hard, and smart. I have never had anyone during that time pay for my food, clothes, rent, car, gas, utilities, or anything else. I paid my way. I paid my taxes, and I paid my own healthcare.

I did not get my job because I belonged to a special club, and it was not because of my skin color, it was not because I knew somebody. I was a long hair, doper with barely a high school education. I got that job, and every other job I have had because I went looking for it, and sold myself as the best candidate for it, and then I worked my fanny off to keep it.

Now to clarify my timeline a little. I came to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in September 1979, and he saved my soul, and changed my life and habits. He gave me hope, and I soon came to learn that it was he that provided my every need. No, he did not plant a money tree in my back yard, what I mean is he gave me a new perspective, I then realized, as I have since to this very day, that he provides job opportunities, pay, and strength and wisdom to do what I am called upon to do. So, when I say I have paid my way, I clearly know and mean that God has provided the means, and I have taken the responsibility placed in my hands and tried to be faithful in it.

Since then, The Lord has brought the most beautiful woman in the world to be my wife in January 1984. Then in July of 1986, he sent us the most precious gift ever, my little princess, (she is all grown up now, but my little sunbeam nonetheless). We paid for her childbirth. We paid for her food. We paid for her clothes. We paid for her school.

In our country there is a debate over the rich paying their fair share, (the liberal’s side) and the individual being responsible for their own selves, (the conservative’s side). Let me say this, this is not a matter for Christian duty, to feed, clothe, heal, and house every American citizen. This is a debate of people that work hard every day, and pay taxes to this country with people that don’t work and don’t pay taxes, as to if the country will use the taxpayers money to reward those who don’t pay taxes. It is a shame for people to put this on the Christian as their duty to do this because of our faith. This is an American thing, not a Christian thing. If you want to add politics to Christianity, then add Christianity to politics, and adhere to the rule set forth in the New Testament, “If a man does not work, then he shall not eat”.

I propose this. I will be more than willing to pay welfare to an unwed mother, and pay for all the healthcare, food, rent, utilities, and even the gas for their Cadillac they drive to the welfare office to pick up their check, if they will first agree to a permanent birth control option. OK, that’s a little rough. Rather, that they know that we the “paying” people will pay for ONE child only, every other one they Choose to have they pay for. That’s what I call “Physical Responsibility”.

Hi, my name is Mike, and I guess I am a redneck.